


La Torre

by Ren



Category: Spartacus Series (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-20
Updated: 2014-09-19
Packaged: 2018-02-18 01:30:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2330273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ren/pseuds/Ren
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Agron never paid attention to any of the staff, until the new guy arrives at the beginning of the summer.</p>
<p>(Or, the coffee-shop AU that isn't really set in a coffee-shop because what Italy has is bars. And baristas, though not as hot as Nasir.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is basically the Spartacus modern AU (with accidental focus on Nagron) that I've been mulling over for a year and I'll never write properly. The proper version would be like one litre of American coffee while this is the espresso version. Then again since this is a ~~coffee shop~~ [bar](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar_\(establishment\)#Italy) AU maybe it's only proper that it should be an espresso. Whatever.
> 
> Please note that Chapter 1 is the actual story, while Chapter 2 is more of a word vomit about this setting. For the prompt of "Tarot Card: The Tower" over at gameofcards @ LJ. I took the Tower's meaning of _destruction_ as a main inspiration for the setting, and the story also was inspired by the prompts _sudden change, hard times, revelation, disillusion, ego blow._

The _Bar La Torre_ is an unremarkable establishment. They only go there because it's close to the gym, and they've all been in Italy long enough to get used to the tradition of after-lunch coffee. Agron never paid attention to any of the staff, until the new guy arrives at the beginning of the summer. Agron notices the new guy at once, because honestly how could you not? He's gorgeous, even wearing the bar's uniform shirt with the tacky orange logo on the breast. Agron flashes him a smile as he places their usual order.

(Three espressos for him and Spartacus and Crixus. One macchiato for Naevia. One barley coffee for Mira who insists it's just as good as regular coffee even though it's not.)

Nasir's scholarship barely covers his rent and he has to make ends meet, but he hates his job at the bar. Especially because of the very tall, very muscular, very green-eyed man staring at him. Nasir hasn't been in Italy long enough, but it's been enough to learn that foreigners are rare in this semi-rural town and having dark skin is enough to have people stare at you in the street. He glares at the coffees as he pours them from the espresso machine, slamming the tiny saucers and cups on the counter with bad grace. The stranger keeps staring, but he's not smiling any more. Nasir turns around and busies himself with rolling up the sleeves of his shirt, cursing the afternoon heat.

(His Italian is good, but not good enough to recognize that the other man isn't a native speaker either.)

Agron's pissed because he was just trying to be friendly --okay, he was trying to hit on the barista, but he was _disguising_ it as being friendly. That stuck up jerk doesn't say a word, not even a single 'hello' when they come in. Agron insists they all go to another bar, three streets over, but walking there and back under the 2pm sun is murder and Spartacus hates their coffee anyway. Naevia tells him to stop throwing tantrums and they go back to _La Torre_. Agron studiously refuses to order, or to stand near the counter, or to acknowledge Nasir's presence in any way.

(That barista is hot, Naevia says later, looking all innocent. Agron maintains a dignified silence and walks away.)

The same group of people from the nearby gym comes in every afternoon, and Nasir wants to just serve them quickly so they'll drink their coffees and be on their way. But it's harder to ignore a direct question, especially when asked by the man that he's come to think of as their boss. At least that's the impression he gives, from the way the other four stand around and listen when he talks. He's definitely got charisma, so Nasir reluctantly answers a series of questions over the course of several weeks. His name is Nasir. He's here on a scholarship. He's from Syria. He's studying engineering, about to start his third year. He hopes to obtain citizenship at some point.

(At that, Crixus goes on a lengthy rant about fucking immigration laws.)

When the university starts again in October, they don't see Nasir at the bar any more. But Agron asks the other baristas and finds out Nasir traded his 2pm shifts for other hours that would work with his courses. So he shows up at _La Torre_ one evening after work. The place's empty save from him and Nasir, and there's a strained silence as Nasir makes the espresso. Agron leans against the counter, bone-tired after a long day, and stares down at the cup of coffee in his hands. He could drink it in one gulp and be on his way and never think about it again. But he has to get this off his chest, because he's seen the way Nasir avoids all questions about his family. So he clasps his hands around the untouched coffee and tells Nasir about how he came here from Germany with his brother to be a pro boxer, and how it all went to shit when Duro died.

(Nasir doesn't say anything, but when the story is finished he puts one hand over Agron's.)


	2. Chapter 2

The backstory to this is that a few years ago Spartacus arrives at the Palestra Batiatus, a boxing gym run by this shady dude from Rome. Batiatus promises Spartacus that he can get him Italian citizenship because he knows several important people. Spartacus lets himself be swayed, especially when Batiatus promises he can bring over his wife ~~from wherever the appropriate modern equivalent of Thrace is~~. So he starts winning fights and gets into a rivalry with Crixus, the former champion, who was also promised the same citizenship deal. Except, Batiatus doesn't have nearly so much power as he likes to pretend, and Spartacus keeps putting pressure on him. So Batiatus finally has Spartacus's wife flown over, but he knows he can't get her a permit of stay, so two days into the "visit" he arranges to cut the brakes on her rental car and she dies in a car crash. Everyone buys the story of the "tragic, unfortunate accident" (the local papers have a field day with this since Spartacus has become the darling of the press).

Then Lucretia, the socialite wife, decides that his husband should embark on a political career and enlists his secretary Naevia's help to run his campaign. Naevia finds some pretty shady files on Batiatus's laptop -- and I don't mean the bondage porn, there's proof of corruption and collusion and all sort of illegal dealings, including the fact that he was putting all his athletes at risk by cutting on medical check-ups to finance his campaign. Sidenote, Naevia is often asked which part of Africa she's from; she's from Capua, she was adopted when she was two or three years old, and her birth parents were Lebanese. She wishes she could punch the people who then ask her where in Africa is Lebanon. Once, after Crixus has taught her a thing or two, and because the other person deserved it for other reasons, she does.

Anyway, Naevia finds proof that Batiatus is a criminal, and she goes to Spartacus. Together with sports journalist Mira they plan to expose Batiatus publicly. In all this, Agron and Duro are the babies of the group and mostly known as those two jokers from Germany. They've mostly stayed out of the drama so far because they don't care about fighting for this gym or for someone else. But then Agron hurts his hand and he's got to sit out the next match. Duro replaces him, but he sustains a bad injury in the ring and dies shortly after. Also, Agron's hand never heals properly so there goes his pro career. Don't blame me, the prompt was _destruction_.

The one positive note in all this is that Batiatus is eventually exposed, and while he never serves time for his crimes because of what Crixus calls the fucking corrupted system, Batiatus does die shortly after under mysterious circumstances. So there's that. Spartacus and the others take over the boxing gym and run it as a cooperative and Agron becomes an instructor. He goes through a pretty rough patch for some time but slowly he gets better. And then there's the gorgeous new guy from the bar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, this is the short version of the story. Horribly unpolished, but I haven't been able to write anything for months and I'm trying to get back on track.


End file.
